Fuel-feed mechanism for gas producers



J F. ROGERS. FUEL FEED MECHANISM FOR GAS PRODUCERS.

APPLI CATION FILED NOV. 18, I919.

Patented Nov. 211, 1922.

Patented Nov. 21, 1922.,

UNHTFJD Parent JOHN 1?. ROGERS, OF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TO THE VJELLJVLAN SEAVER-MORGAN COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION 01* OHIO.

FUEL-FEED IVIECI-IANISM FOB GAS PRODUGEBfi.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN F. Romans, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland Heights, in the county of Guyahoga and State of Ohio, have inventeda certain new and useful Improvement 1n Fuel-Feed Mechanism for Gas Producers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to fuel feed mechanism of gas producers and has for its chief objects the provision of means for preventing the clogging of the feed mechanism when so-called lumpy coal is being fed to the producer.

More specifically considered, the invention aims to provide an automatically operated device in the form of a gate which permits the feeding of fuel to a movable valve member when the valve is in position to receive the fuel, and stops the feed when the valve opening is being closed so as to prevent lumps of fuel being jammed between the valve and the chamber receiving it, thereby minimizing the danger of breakage of the feed mechanism or of a part utilized in transmitting power from the valve actuating mechanism to the valve proper.

The invention may be briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts which will be described in the specification and set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, Fig. 1 is an end view of one form of fuel feed mechanism for a producer, the same being equipped with my invention; Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, parts being broken away for the sake of clearness; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view substantially along the line 38 of Fig. 2.

The fuel feed mechanism, which in practice is mounted on a gas producer, includes a delivery member in the form of a chute or conduit 10 in the top 11 of which fuel is delivered from a suitable hopper, the feed being controlled by a gate in the form of a slide which may be adjusted by a hand wheel 12. Below the top 11 of the delivery member 10 and located in a slightly enlarged and inclined portion 13 of the latter is a rotary feeder consisting of a shaft 1 f having outstanding staggered fingers 15 which feed the fuel downward to the valve.

At the lower part of the delivery member 10 the valve is located, This valve may be of any suitable form, such as rotary or reciprocating, preferably the former, and in this instance I have shown what is known as a two-pocket rotary cylindrical valve 16 (see particularly Fig. 3), which rotates in a substantially cylindrical portion 17 of the delivery member 10. This valve has two pockets 16 and 16*, each substantially semicylindrical in form, and each having an arcshaped mouth 16 which receives a predetermined amount of fuel when the mouth comes into registration with the portion 18 of the delivery member 10 just above the valve, and discharges the fuel into the lower part 19 of the conduit just beneath the valve when the mouth of the valve comes in registration with the same. From the lower part 19 of the delivery member 10, the fuel passes direct into the top of the producer which is not shown.

It will be observed that the mouth 16 is substantially co-extensive in dimensions with the cross-sectional dimensions of the upper and lower portions 18 and 19 of the delivery member or conduit 10. The mouth of each pocket is formed in this instance, between a central vertical wall or partition 16 of the valve and an arc-shaped wall 16 which extends from one edge of the partition 16 toward the other edge, for a sufficient distance to form an effective seal for the prevention of the escape of gas from the producer up through the conduit or delivery member 10, past the valve, it being understood that these arc-shaped walls lb of the valve engage the cylindrical walls of the portion 17 of the delivery member.

The valve is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3, and both the valve and the upper feeder shaft 1% are preferably turned intermittently, but the mechanism by which the valve and feeder are operated may be of any suitable form. In this instance I have shown valve and feeder actuating mechanism substantially the same as that jointly invented by J. S. McClimon and myself, and shown in a copending application, Serial No. 268,960, filed by us December 30, 1918.

This mechanism includes a rock-shaft 20 which may be oscillated in any suitable manner. This rock-shaft is provided with a rocker comprising an arm 21 connected by a link 22 to a pair of plates 23 carrying benut canbe positioned at any desired point along the screw 28 so as to vary the throw given to the pawl 32 at each stroke of the rock-shaft. With this mechanism, step by step movements are imparted to the valve and feeder so that predetermined or measured amounts of fuel are periodically delivered to the producer, it being understood that the rate at which the coal is fed to the valve can be varied as desired.

. Coming now to the principal feature of the present invention, it will be observed that if lumpy coal is being fed to the producer, should a lump project outwardly through the mouth of a valve pocket as the valve is moving to a position to close the mouth, it is apparent that the movement of the valve would. be clogged by the-jamming of the lump or lumps between the stationary part 17 and the wall of the valve approaching it. This would endanger, and at times would cause breakage of some part of the feed mechanism. e

To avoid this I provide above the valve, means for stopping the flow of fuel toward the valve while the valve opening ormouth of the pocket is being closed, and in this in stance the means for accomplishing this result is in the form of a gate 34, arranged in the part 18 of the delivery member 10, just above the valve or between the valve and the feeder. This gate, which is automatically operated in the manner to be explained, is mounted on an oscillatory shaft 35, extending crosswise of the part 18 of the conduit near one side wall thereof, so as to swing from the full line position shown in Fig. 3, in which position it stops entirely the downward feed of fuel, to the dotted line position shown in the same figure, in which position it permits the fuel to pass freely to the valve.

In this instance, this gate 34. is controlled by a cam 36, on one end of the valve, the cam being provided with circular portions, and with two oppositely disposed recesses 36 36 The surface of. the cam is engaged by a roller '37, carried by the short arm of a bell-crank 38, supported by a block 39, mounted on the part 17 of the delivery member 10, adjacent that end of the valve to which the cam 36 is secured. mentioned that this block 39 is provided. with a flange which projects down into a groove 40 between the cam and the valve so as to It might be prevent endwise movement of the valve. The long arm of the bell-crank 38 is connected by a link 42, to a weighted arm 13, secured to the shaft 35, carrying the gate 3 1.

The construction is such that as long as the roller 37 rides on the circular portions of the cam 3.6, the gate is held in its full open position, but when the roller 37 drops into either depression 36, the gate is swung by the weight 43 to the closed position shown by full lines in Fig. 3, and by dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Of course the position of the cam depressions 36, 36 with respect to the mouths of the valve, and the length of the depressions determine the points in the cycle of valve movement in which the gate closes, and the period or exact portion of the valve movement that the gate remains closed.

However, I prefer that this part of the apparatus be so designed that the gate will close so as to prevent the feed of. fuel to the valve shortly after the valve reaches its full open position and is starting to close, and I prefer that the gate remain closed until the valve opening or mouth of the pocket is closed by thesurroui'iding wall of the valve chamber, and that the gate then immediately open so as to permit the fuel to pass to the valve and to enter the empty pocket of the valve as soon as the mouth ofthe pocket moves into registration with the upper part 13 of the delivery member.

The mechanism here shown, operates in the preferred manner above explained, and has proven by practice to be very effective in the way of eliminating entirely liability (of breakage of any part of the feed mechanism by the jamming of lumpy fuel as the valve opening or the mouth of a pocket is being closed.

While my invention has proven to be very useful in connection with a rotary valve such here shown, nevertheless I do not limit myself to a valve of this'type, nor to the details of the operating mechanism.

Having described my invei'ition, I claim:

1. in a fuel feed mechanism for gas pro- (lucers, a fuel delivery member having a rotary valve with a pocket, and with a fuel receiving opening, means for operating the valve so as to turn the pocket and opening to a position to receive fuel and subsequently to a position to deliver the fuel, and means above the valve for shutting ofi the flow of fuel to the latter while the valve opening is bein closed. 3 I p 2. n a fuel feed mechanism for gas producers, a fuel delivery member provided with a valve having pockets each having a fuel receiving and delivery mouth, and means above the valve for preventing the flow of fuel to the valve while the mouth is being closed by the movement of the valve.

In a fuel feed mechanism for gas pro ducers, a fuel delivery member through Which fuel is adapted to pass to the producer, a valve in said member, means for operating the valve so as to cause fuel to be delivered periodically, means for positively feeding fuel through the conduit toward the valve, and means for preventing the passage of fuel to the valve when the valve is being closed.

4. In a fuel feed mechanism for gas producers, a fuel delivery member, avalve in the said fuel delivery member provided With a fuel receiving pocket, means for positively feeding coal through the conduit toward the valve, and means for preventing the passage of fuel to the valve during a predetermined portion of its closing movement.

5. In a fuel feed mechanism for gas producers, a fuel delivery member having a valve With a fuel receiving pocket, means above the valve comprising a movable shutoff gate for preventing the passage of fuel to the Valve during a portion of the closing movement of the valve.

6. In a fuel feed mechanism for gas producers, a fuel delivery member having a valve provided with a charge receiving pocket, a feeder above the valve, and means located between the feeder and valve for preventing the discharge of fuel to the valve during a predetermined portion of the latters movement.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.

JOHN F. ROGERS. 

